


Growing Family

by paupotter_4869



Series: The Most Important Thing. . . [22]
Category: The Last of Us (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Family Bonding, Family Feels, First Time Parents, Growing Family, Insecurities, baby sister, in the midst of the apocalypse, life endures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:22:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28483827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paupotter_4869/pseuds/paupotter_4869
Summary: In the middle of the Apocalypse, the Miller family grows in ways Joel had never thought would be possible again. Needless to say, every member of the family has some concerns and doubts about rearing a child in a dystopian world.
Relationships: Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us), Ellie & Joel (The Last of Us), Ellie & Maria (The Last of Us), Ellie & Tommy (The Last of Us), Joel (The Last of Us)/Original Female Character(s), Maria/Tommy (The Last of Us)
Series: The Most Important Thing. . . [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2033674
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All credit to Naughty Dogs. I do not own anything.

  
_Oh, I’m a lucky man_  
_To count on both hands_  
_The ones I love._  
_Some folks just have one_  
_Yeah, others they got none._  


Joel and Tommy regaled Maria and Ellie with their singing and playing their six-strings. All too often they provided the evening’s entertainment after a family dinner or lunch—singing song after song and staying up too late, even if they all had chores in the morning. 

It was one of those special family occasions they’d all lost with the Apocalypse and thought would never get back again. And, now that they’d gotten used to it, they loved the after-dinner conversations so damned much. 

They weren’t the only ones, alas. More often than not, they’d find the neighbor’s kids peeking from the windows, listening with awe and bliss. Joel and Tommy would often play oblivious and sing a couple of age-appropriate songs that the kids were unable not to sing along to, giving away their little sins. Many nights, they all ended up outside on the porch, the kids sitting on the wooden floor or the ground, and sang for hours for their demanding, little audience. 

  
_Nothing you would take_  
_Everything you gave_  
_Hold me 'til I die_  
_Meet you on the other side_  


“Nicely done!” Maria praised when her husband and brother-in-law finished the song. The two men bowed their heads at Ellie and Maria applauding their performance and, putting down their guitars, they picked up instead their glasses. 

“Ellie? Want to play the next one?” Joel suggested. 

“No, thanks,” said the girl, although she grabbed Joel's guitar and rested it on her lap, in awe, again, at his handiwork. 

She played a B chord, followed by a C chord, but seeing as she was giving the wrong impression amongst her family members, Ellie quickly gave the guitar back to Joel. He chuckled upon her haste and worry, but didn’t remark on it as he played another chord, hummed some notes, and looked over at Tommy. 

Those indications had been more than enough for Tommy to understand which song Joel wanted to play next. Tommy finished his drink, picked up his guitar, and looked at his brother to begin playing at the same time—although in truth, they’d been playing together for so long that they could come up with a song and play it together with their eyes closed, without missing a single note. 

Joel had specifically chosen a song he’d taught Ellie, trying to compel her to join in with her guitar, and he looked at her more often than he looked over to Tommy to make sure they agreed on the tempo and spur of the moment variations of the song. But she remained quiet, and he accepted it, forcing her to do anything being the last thing on his mind. 

“Excuse me,” Maria said all of a sudden in the middle of the song, which never happened. They never interrupted a song. It was like a non-written rule around here, one that everyone respected, always, Ellie included. 

But Maria did interrupt the song, much to everyone’s dismay and shock. She stood, one hand covering her mouth, and ran off the living room before she could spare a word to explain what was going on. The remnants of the last chords played hanging in the air, they watched Maria disappear under the threshold. 

“Oh, not again,” Tommy scowled, putting down his guitar and running after Maria. 

Left alone in the living room, Joel and Ellie exchanged one look as Tommy’s footsteps vanished up the stairs. Ellie stood, in an attempt to go after Maria, as well, and try to help her, but Joel, to her right, stopped her with a sound of his throat. 

“Let them be. Tommy’s with her, I’m sure she does not want an audience.” 

“What would you know?” 

“If Maria needs Doc or anything else, they’ll let us know. For now, sit.” 

Begrudgingly, Ellie saw reason and understood Joel was right. She sat down again, throwing looks over her shoulder at the door the couple had disappeared through. Her worries vanished when Joel put a guitar, his own guitar, between her hands. 

“You’re not getting out of this one,” he forbade. For some reason he couldn’t comprehend, still felt anxious and overconfident regarding her skills, although both Joel and Tommy told her time and time again her level was pretty good. This was her chance to prove them right or wrong, whatever the case. 

“Come on,” he insisted, pointing at her chair and the instrument between her hands. 

His forcing her arm almost spurred the rebellious side of Ellie that was always so close to the surface. She came close to arguing when she saw the soft look on Joel’s eyes and deflated, knowing he was only trying to distract her. 

Eager, she took the guitar and stretched her fingers, playing solo for a little bit, without following any songs she’d learned, just letting her fingers form the chords as they wanted, at the speed they felt like it, practicing the hand movements she'd mostly mastered. Joel accompanied her by tapping a rhythm on the floor, and then, seizing Tommy's guitar, he joined in Ellie’s impromptu solo. The combination, per usual, was quite good, and his smile broadened as the song progressed. By the time they finished the melody, he nodded in approval, a sight that never failed to lift Ellie’s spirits. 

Without waiting for applause or recognition, Joel drummed his fingers and this time around, Ellie joined in right away. She now sported a little, tilted smile, enjoying the challenge Joel handed her. 

They played on and on, almost forgetting about the hosts’ absence—not really, though. As soon as they heard footsteps coming back, they stopped playing, leaving a song half-finished, and Joel stood to refill all of their glasses. Ellie watched him closely and it didn’t seem as if he was too worried, which helped her relax a bit, too. 

It was a good call, because Tommy defeated demeanor was almost heartbreaking. 

“Sorry 'bout that,” he said, sitting on the chair Ellie pulled out for him. 

“Didn’t know your food was _that_ bad, Joel,” Ellie remarked, trying to make light fun of it all. It didn’t work—Tommy shook his head and Joel only grumbled. 

“It’s not his cooking,” Tommy replied. “She’s been feeling badly for a while, now.” 

“Could it be the smell?” Joel suggested, a question that shocked both Tommy and Ellie to the core. 

Joel laughed at their reactions, as if he couldn’t have noticed that his sister-in-law had started to take ill lately. He’d hoped they’d be wise enough to check in with Doc, or to express him their concerns, but he’d tried to give the couple their time and space, assuming they’d figure it out, eventually. Seemed like they hadn’t, not yet, so Joel took this spoiled dinner as his cue. 

“I remember her face the other day when she complained about Alicia’s cooking at the canteen.” 

“Yeah, I remember that too,” scowled Ellie, completely missing the point. “Alicia almost murdered Maria right then and there.” 

“What I meant to say was, Maria’s not eating garlic these days when she used to love it—maybe a bit too much for my taste. I didn’t add any tonight and she didn’t even remark on it.” 

“What’re you saying?” Tommy pressed, confused still. 

“She’s been feeling sick and weak in the mornings, too, hasn’t she?” Joel pressed on, still standing on the other side of the dining table. Everyone around the table should know that, Maria has missed out on quite a few inspecting the patrol troops and their rounds every morning before giving them a green light to go out. 

“She has,” Tommy nodded. 

“Then she’s going to be alright, Tommy,” he reassured them both. 

“Since when is your title, _Dr._ Miller?” Ellie scowled, hating the fact that he wasn’t taking seriously Maria’s condition. 

“I don’t claim to be an expert, but I do remember a few things,” Joel said. Before explaining his credentials and vital experience in _this_ department, he needed to pause and take a very deep breath, preparing his whole system for that name, the name he hadn’t uttered in so long, “what with Sarah and all.” 

“Wait,” demanded Tommy, although Joel hadn’t gone off in a babbling spree exactly, but he’d just fallen silent after giving his explanations. It was just Tommy’s first reaction as his brain processed the possibility. 

“Come on,” pressed Joel. “She’s also been gaining some weight. All together now: all of those clues, obviously, mean…?”

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Ellie demanded, without answering straight-on Joel’s little riddle. He set aside that little detail tonight. 

“If you’re thinking that Maria might be pregnant and Tommy here will soon be a father, then yes, I’m exactly saying what you think I’m saying.”

“No freaking way!” 

“Yes way,” Joel replied. “We did have the conversation about storks delivering babies, didn’t we?” 

“Please, spare us both the embarrassment,” begged Ellie, waving at Joel to stop talking, too amazed by the news to let Joel get her side-tracked. “I cannot believe anyone would willingly get into such a mess of having a baby. I mean, you see some of the morons and dead-brains around town and wonder—” 

“It’s a good thing you’re not going to be raising any kids, then, or they’ll wreck chaos day in and day out,” scowled Joel, and then looked at his brother, who had yet to utter a word. Joel had poured a shot of whisky for him but maybe what he needed were Doc and a defibrillator. “Tommy, please, respond?”

Worried as he was, Joel’s sentence ended up in an interrogation mark as he rested a hand on Tommy’s shoulder. That touch finally snapped him out of the daze and blur and he looked up at his brother. 

“How. . . How can you be sure?” he stuttered. 

“Some things you never forget,” Joel argued, a bit relieved to see Tommy form full, coherent sentences. “Of course, Maria will have to see Doc and have a full check-up. . . ”

“Of course,” nodded Tommy, mechanical, his tone flat, as if he were only repeating a given instruction. “I can’t believe it. I’m going to be a. . . A father?” 

“Yes, you are, little brother,” chuckled Joel, patting him on the arm. 

“Oh, relax, Tommy, will you? Half the job of parenting is just making sure the little fucker doesn’t die, and you’re a pro at survival, are you not?” 

“The other half is not calling them ‘the little fucker’, Ellie,” Joel groaned. 

“Fine,” she rolled her eyes. 

Still, Tommy had a hard time responding to the bickering or the news Joel had just dropped. 

“At least he’s got nine months to wrap his head around the idea,” Ellie said under her breath, amused tone at Tommy’s shock and bewilderment. 

“That, he does. The same amount of time _you’ve_ got to let it sink in you’re going to become an aunt,” Joel added. 

He just couldn’t stop himself. Ellie’s smug tone had sparked something within him. He just mentioned she’d become an aunt knowing the realization would shake her as much as it had shocked Tommy. And her face was priceless, Joel burst out laughing and he needed to go around the table and sit by Tommy’s side, far away from Ellie, before she made an attempt against his life for laughing at her expense. 

On the other hand, he knew Ellie hadn’t truly understood the implications of Maria being pregnant because she didn’t really see herself as Tommy’s niece. This was going to be a test for Ellie herself, too, Joel nodded. She needed to get over it and accept her place in the family—because she had to know she belonged, but no one could force her to believe that reality. She had nine months ahead of her to come to terms with it. 

“Alright, both of you, this ain’t the end of the world,” he scowled in the end. He’d imagined a much different reaction from Tommy and Ellie, being honest. This was cause for joy and celebration, not panicking and mourning. “You’ve _both_ survived the Apocalypse already. This should be a piece of cake.” 

“Right,” Ellie said. 

“Right. . .” Tommy echoed, grabbing the glass Joel had poured for him. 

He finished it in one sip and then refilled it. At that moment, Joel raised his glass, and Ellie mirrored him, although she didn’t like the fact of toasting with water. Joel gave in too easily, as he so usually did when it came to Ellie, and let her have a little bit of wine. 

“Congrats, Tommy.”

“Congratulations, little brother.” 

They drank and, when Tommy laid his glass back on the table, they were relieved to see he was finally smiling, the idea slowly setting down in his mind, and he liked the prospect of a growing family. 

“I guess we all get wrangled up at some point, don’t we?” 

“Yes, we do,” Joel confirmed. “And, trust me, you will not regret a single second.”

Tommy, glass in hand, nodded a few times, desperate to believe his brother’s words. He was panicking and he didn’t quite know how to break the news for Maria. Maybe Joel was right and he should just wait to book a doctor’s appointment and let the physician deliver the news. 

“What. . . Is there something I’m supposed to be doing right now?” he asked Joel. 

“Let her rest tonight,” he suggested—did he understand Tommy’s fears before he ever uttered them aloud? “But if she wakes up and has any cravings at all, you better run and deliver.” 

“Cravings?” 

“You should remember to have in store some of her comfort food, whatever it is,” Joel said. “It’s okay, Tommy, no one was born knowing it all. You’ll do fine.” 

“No. Ellie was right. This isn’t a good thing. Raising a kid in these circumstances. . .” 

“What am I always telling you? Do not listen to me,” Ellie scowled, a bit afraid. She’d always known her lip might get her in trouble and now she feared it may cause big headaches tonight with someone who didn’t need a headache. 

“Ellie was only joking,” Joel argued, refraining from sending the girl an annoyed, piercing glare over the shoulder—the last thing Tommy needed right now was crippling anxiety. 

Seeing as Tommy couldn’t quite recover from the news and all the struggles that would come ahead, Joel addressed Ellie one look. They communicated and understood each other silently, for she picked up Joel’s guitar and started playing a tune she knew for a fact Tommy knew. Joel soon joined in and accommodated to her playing. Music seemed like the easiest way to help Tommy relax and, after a while, he did exactly that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although not really specifically stated in the second game, this is a personal headcanon of mine ! :) I would have loved to see this.


	2. Chapter 2

“You sure you’re not coming tonight, then?” Dina asked again. 

“Positive. It’s movie night with Joel.” 

“Alright, then, have fun. See you tomorrow.” 

The two girls parted each other’s way, although being completely honest, Ellie did turn around a couple of times to check on Dina, of all people. She wasn’t sure why she did it, really. There were no threats inside the community and there was no chance in hell Dina could have gotten in any trouble in the few seconds they’d been apart. 

Feeling a bit stupid for acting like a child, Ellie turned a corner and forgot about it. She had, however, missed the few occasions where Dina had turned around to check on _her,_ and she’d never be any the wiser. 

As a matter of fact, she had more important stuff to do at the moment, after all, which had a lot to do with the bottle of water and the sandwich she was carrying. She could find about a million more appealing activities and company she could occupy her time with, but she didn’t want to disappoint Tommy or, much less, Joel. So, she swallowed her complaints and went to see Maria, as she’d promised. 

The woman in question was sitting on a rocking chair on her porch, wrapped up in a coat and blanket, caressing her belly and giving the occasional wave to the passerby who walked past her place. She smiled radiantly at Ellie when she showed up and, before she had said anything, Maria had already pointed at her to sit by her side. 

“How are you doing?” Ellie asked carefully, staring at that humongous stomach. 

“Wishing they would decide to get out already,” chuckled Maria. 

Ellie laughed, too. She sympathized, of course. Throughout the pregnancy, the poor woman had become tired and sore and clumsy and basically dependent on other people. Not only that, but she’d also grown so big, Ellie was surprised the baby hadn’t burst out of the stomach already. 

Over the past eight and a half months, however, she’d learned better than to make statements like that one. She bit her tongue before messing up so early in the conversation. 

“This is for you,” she said, handing Maria the bottle of water and the sandwich. “Courtesy of Alicia. Just so you know, I’m expected to report back that you loved the ham.” 

Maria groaned up at that sight, freezing Ellie. 

“What is it?” She freaked out. “You’re supposed to stay hydrated. And eat all of your meals.” 

“Yes, yes, I know. But the more I drink, the more I need to pee, and going to the bathroom is harder and harder every day,” Maria confessed, looking down at her stomach. She knew Ellie would help her out if needed, but she didn’t want to find herself in the position to ask for literally every little thing. 

Well, she was right on that account, Ellie sighed. Maria did have trouble getting around and, given her clumsiness, and her husband’s worry, lately, she was almost secluded to her place and the immediate surrounding area. By the time she did give birth, Ellie assumed she wouldn’t be able to leave her bedroom. 

“At least try,” she begged Maria, laying the sandwich on her lap. She knew how important it was for Maria to take care of herself—she was raising another person in there, after all—but most of all, she wanted to be able to look straight at Tommy and not lie when she told him she’d tried her best but Maria had refused her help. 

“Tommy worries too much, bringing you into this,” scowled Maria, taking the bottle of water, as well. 

“No one put me—” 

“You don’t have to lie to me, Ellie,” Maria interjected, soft smile. “You haven’t visited unless Joel dragged you by the ear. No need to make excuses, I understand. There’re more pressing and important things to take care of.” 

“Nevertheless, I’m here, now,” said Ellie, almost in defiance. She didn’t want to come because she’d been forced to by Tommy and Joel, who both had patrol duty today, but now that Maria shrugged her help off and suggested her to leave, she refused to do so. Joel was right, sometimes her mind and reasons made no sense at all. 

Her defiance deflated a bit as soon as she heard Maria grunting and caught her making a face. 

“You alright?” She shrieked, standing, without knowing what to do. She looked around, but there were no neighbors in sight right now, and she was useless when it came to pregnancy. 

Maria raised a hand to stop her useless and futile advances, asking for a minute. Eyes closed and jaw clenched, she held her breath for a few seconds and shifted on her chair, maybe trying to find a more comfortable position. Ellie almost didn’t breathe through it all, until Maria addressed her a half-smile. 

“Oh, man,” she chuckled, leaning back on her chair. 

“What was that?” Ellie demanded. She pondered her options: leave Maria and fetch Doc, yell and hope for Martin to hear her and come help, send a search party for Joel and Tommy. . . She just couldn’t relax and sit back on her chair. 

“They’re a kicker,” Maria soothed her worries. “It’s alright, Ellie, really. Do me a favor and breathe again before you pass out.” 

Too tense still, Ellie needed a couple of seconds more to follow Maria’s instructions and, then, sit back down on her chair. Just to humor the girl, Maria took a few bites of her sandwich, giving them both some time to recover after the mild and meaningless fright. 

Maria gobbled down half her sandwich and the entire bottle of water. Throughout her meal, however, she could feel Ellie’s nervousness as well as her eyes locked on her belly. Her being ready to jump off the chair again and call for Doc, then run for Tommy and Joel on foot, at some point got Maria on edge, as well, although having Ellie around was a nice change of pace and a good distraction. 

“Alright, I don’t know if it was a lack of interest or fear, but whatever it was, let’s work on it right now,” she suggests then, putting away her sandwich. 

“What’d you mean?” 

“Would you like to feel them?” Maria suggested, unbuttoning her jacket. 

“I. . . I don’t want to do it wrong,” replied Ellie. Her arms crossed, she refused to move a single muscle as Maria turned on her chair towards her. 

“You won’t,” Maria reassured her with a wink. “Give me your hand.” 

After pondering for a second, Ellie unclenched her fists and raised her hand. Maria grabbed it into hers and laid it on her belly. Ellie froze, all her muscles tense, and even tried to slow down her breathing--afraid of hurting either mother or child. She looked up and Maria nodded to say everything was going fine, soothing Ellie’s worst worries. 

In an instinctive act, Ellie moved her fingers, ever so carefully, her thumb stroking the bulging belly button. Thinking that a child was growing in there, born out of almost nothing, was a truly magical thought, she couldn’t deny that. 

“I don’t feel anyt…” Her statement ended in a yelp, because just as she was talking, she’d felt a little hit against her hand, completed by Maria’s little grunt. 

“There they are,” she says, ragged breathing. 

“We’ve got a fighter, I see,” chuckled Ellie, rubbing the side of Maria’s stomach where the baby kicked. “Trying to argue with me even before they’ve officially met me.” 

“Don’t take it personally, they do that with almost everyone, including their father.” 

A shiver ran down Maria’s spine and Ellie pulled back, afraid that Maria got out of this visit with a freaking cold. She helped button her jacket up and threw the blankets over her shoulders and lap again, retreating to her chair. Maria smiled at her tenderness and care—she certainly looked more comfortable now. 

“Joel does have a knack for it, though,” Maria said, resuming their previous conversation. “They’re much more restful whenever he’s around. Perhaps it’s his music.” 

“Oh,” Ellie stuttered, uneasy now. Should she offer to play something? She wasn’t too confident in her skills just yet, she usually only played with Joel. And being out there on the porch during the day, anyone who walked by could show interest in her playing and linger unnecessarily. . . 

Maria read her like an open book and soothed her worries again. 

“Don’t worry, you’re not here to amuse me with a concert,” she said, which made Ellie blush a little bit. 

“I’m not very good at all the nurturing and bedside manners, am I?” 

“And why should you be? No one asked you to,” Maria shrugged. She didn’t seem to care one way or the other, she simply appreciated Ellie coming by to check on her. “We can talk about anything else you’d prefer.” 

“How did you two meet?” 

The question had blurted out of her mouth without Ellie really planning to and she was mortified the moment the words were out. However, judging by Maria’s guffaw, she didn’t mind the subject Ellie had chosen. 

“Pretty standard meeting nowadays,” she said. “It was on a raid, actually. He had sought shelter in that church to the east—have you been there on patrol already?” 

“I have, yeah.” 

“Well, you can imagine the rest, then. We mistook each other for Infected. . . He tried to stab me, I tried to blow his head off, until we realized we were both humans. I took him back to town for food and medical assistance, we spent some time together. . . And I realized he was kind and that he made me laugh. That’s all there was to it, really.” 

_Doesn’t help me, then, with Dina,_ Ellie sighed, leaning back on her chair. She caught the look Maria addressed her and prayed that she hadn’t been so open about her feelings this time around. Whether she had been or not, Maria didn’t mention it, and resumed her story. 

“The thing about my husband, however, is that I’ve never seen him so rested and happy,” she said then, looking out to the street, “not since you and Joel got here. He’s excited to have his brother back. Despite the argument they’d had, he’d missed Joel, and it’s been great having him around all the time.” 

“Yeah, Joel had missed Tommy, too,” nodded Ellie. Not that either brother would have confessed so to each other or to anyone else, but as Maria had pointed out, the feelings were obvious in their faces and the way they behaved and acted. Ellie had scarcely seen Joel so ecstatic either, and it had to be related to being with Tommy, to having a family of sorts back. 

“Well, I’m pretty sure that, in turn, Joel’s so damned cheerful all the time because. . . Of you.” 

Blushing slightly, Ellie turned her face to once more avoid Maria’s eye. She didn’t quite believe that, even if Maria wasn’t the first person to point it out to her. 

When had _she_ become the subject of the conversation? Ellie wondered, a bit annoyed. She pointed at the remaining sandwich laying on the table between her and Maria and ordered her to finish eating, just so she could report back to Alicia, Joel, and Tommy that she had had lunch. 

Accepting Ellie’s response, knowing she’d put her in the spot, Maria took the sandwich. 

“In fact, you know that the other day I heard those two talking about going out to the road and borrowing a motorcycle for a little ride?” she said then. “I swear to god those two men put together are worse than all the children we have around here. . . One day we’ll find them with their skulls cracked open after a traffic accident.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, happy 2021 everyone !!! :)


	3. Chapter 3

With a bliss expression on her eyes, Alicia’s head shot upright, towards the clear sky, enjoying a moment of pure contentment and peace. The bright sun hit her face in a magical way, making her hair sparkle and radiate with funny red specks, and the heavenly demeanor made Joel a tiny bit jealous. If only he could do more within his power to make that expression appear. 

If only they didn’t live in such a hellish and difficult world, he sighed. For that brief second, she seemed to be on cloud nine--as they used to say once upon a time. Not that such an expression made any sense today. 

When Alicia opened her eyes, though, something else distracted them both as she pointed at the sky. 

“Look! That one resembles a bear, don’t you think?” 

“No, it’s a lion! A lion eating a piece of meat!” Dina, sitting on the lower step, replied. 

“And that one’s the head of a dragon,” added Ellie, pointing somewhere else. “Breathing fire and all.” 

“Yeah, that’s right!” Dina agreed. “Nice eye.” 

“Thanks.” 

“I don’t like this game,” Joel scowled, not for the first time, today, either. 

Ellie and Dina had just stopped by the canteen to borrow something to eat for the dinner with friends they had planned for that night, and found Alicia and Joel sitting by the entrance, laughing and arguing—as so they usually did. The two girls didn’t waste any time and joined them before they were invited to stay. Not that Alicia or Joel minded the company, or at least they didn’t, at the beginning. Later on, Joel had started to regret not sending them away one hour ago. 

“You’re just not trying hard enough,” Alicia replied, gently bumping against his shoulder. He’d been complaining for a while, already, and his sour mood had yet to tamper the fun the two girls and the woman were having. “Use your imagination.” 

“One could argue I don’t have imagination.” 

“Yeah, no one would ever fault you with that one,” Ellie said in an undertone. In the presence of Alicia there, though, they tried to be on their best behavior and avoid stupid, little, family quarrels that lead nowhere. They were supposed to kill some time before dinner and have a good time, not butcher each other. 

“Come on,” chuckled Alicia, and looked up to the sky again. The wind blew strong today, and so a wide variety of clouds in all the shapes and sizes flew through the sky constantly. “What about those out there?” 

“I don’t know,” Joel sighed again. “It looks like a cloud.” 

“Dear God, you’re making it really hard, you know,” Alicia complained, rolling her eyes. “The standing you?” 

“Sorry ‘bout that, ma’am,” Joel sighed. They all knew the women were only making light fun of Joel, even though they were speaking nothing but the plain truth regarding his lack of imagination and playfulness. 

Despite his apologies, Alicia leaned forward, closer to Ellie, and asked, “How did you stand him for over a year with that foul mood of his?” 

“How did _I_ stand _her,_ you mean,” Joel scowled. 

“It was very, very hard, to be quite honest,” said Ellie with a dramatic sigh, sticking her tongue out at Joel. “I didn’t know what nice company really was until I met Tommy and everyone else down at the dam.” 

“I’m starting to understand.” 

“He didn’t care for my jokes, either. . .” Ellie kept complaining. 

“Jokes?” 

“Oh, don’t you dare start with those,” Joel scowled, pinching Ellie on the side to stop her from beginning a one-hour rant of her god-awful jokes and puns. Hearing them the first time was bad enough. He wouldn’t survive the encore. 

“Come on, some are pretty good,” Dina pointed out at that moment, cocking her head at Joel as if daring him to argue the hilarity of Ellie’s puns. 

“Tell me, tell me!” Alicia nearly begged. 

“Want to hear a joke about paper?” 

“No, we truly don’t,” grunted Joel. 

“Nevermind, it was tearable, either way,” shrugged Ellie, much to Alicia and Dina’s delight and Joel’s nonetheless dismay. 

“Oh, this is just wonderful,” the man groaned in frustration. He looked at the sky, hoping his inner eye could start working right about now, and would distract them all from all the puns and jokes Ellie might put them through in the next few minutes. 

“Well, let’s see. . .” 

Showing his frustration in a low, deep grunt, Joel leaned back, resting on his elbows, as Ellie offered Alicia her best puns. Despite all of his complaints, over the next few minutes, he did laugh at some of the jokes--some were pretty good. Also, Ellie had somehow found new materials and stuff he’d never heard before. 

“I’ve been reading a suspense novel in Braille. . . Something bad’s about to happen, I can feel it.” 

“Do you know what a beginner keeper is called? A newbee.” 

“Want to know why trees have so many friends? They. . . Branch out.” 

“See what I had to put up with for a whole year with her?” Joel complained at Alicia after a string of a dozen more jokes. 

“Hey, you put me through hell, not the other way around.” 

“That is debatable.” 

“Oh, Joel,” sighed Alicia, shaking her head. “You _do_ know how to make a woman laugh.” 

“Sorry to spoil the fun,” Max said behind them, coming out of the canteen with an apologetic expression. He’d interrupted Ellie’s latest joke, which left unanswered the question of why did the orange stop climbing up the hill—a query that would, no doubt, make it impossible for Joel to sleep tonight until he got some answers. “Alicia, we should get cooking.” 

“Right,” the woman nodded. 

She patted Joel’s hand on her knee so he’d give her some space to stand. More than that, Joel jumped to his feet, too, and helped Alicia up in the same movement. They both wiped the soil and dust off their trousers and hands and climbed into the canteen—just as Ellie and Dina did, neighbors would come by soon enough for dinner. 

Two steps into the canteen, though, the lights went out, and they froze in place. They waited for a few seconds in case it was only a temporary bug, as it so usually happened in town, but then they understood that it wasn’t. Through the windows, they could see the surrounding houses stood in the darkness, as well. It seemed the whole town was affected. 

“Oh, bugger,” Alicia scowled under her breath. 

They went outside again, where Ellie and Dina, their jokes forgotten, remained. Across town, people were running to and fro, fulfilling the duties they’d all been tasked with under such an eventuality. People headed for the stables and the farmhouses to check on the animals. They were sharing and handing out lanterns, candles, and torches to make sure everyone had a plentiful supply throughout the night—especially the people on guard duty, Doc at the clinic, and even more on storage at the watchtowers. Lastly, parents were running back to their homes to check on their kids. 

However inconvenient the situation was, they were used to it, and everyone was doing what they were supposed to be doing. That included Alicia and Max, too, to the best of their capabilities. 

“Guessing we’re preparing sandwiches for tonight, then,” Alicia sighed, hands on her waist. 

“Sure,” Max nodded. It wasn’t the same as the steaks they had in mind, but it’d do nicely. 

“Why don’t I give you a hand?” Joel suggested. “I think I can manage some sandwiches.” 

“Sure, come on in.” 

At that moment, they saw a couple of people running past the canteen—Sean and Gareth—which had no reason to be headed for that direction when they certainly had other stuff to do. 

“Hey, where’s the fire?” Alicia stopped the two men. 

“We figured Maria—” 

“I’m pretty sure the lights going out didn’t escape her attention,” Joel said—not even a woman who desperately needed her rest after giving birth could miss such an event. “Do not bother her with that. I’m certain, too, that whoever’s at the dam right now is looking into it to restore the power.” 

“Make sure everyone’s got blankets and flashlights to spare,” Alicia instructed. “If the light’s not back in an hour, spread the word around and let everyone know we’ll have sandwiches prepped for dinner.” 

“We’ve got everything handled,” concluded Joel. “Is that clear? Are guards at my brother’s place going to be necessary so you let my sister-in-law get some rest?” 

“No, of course not. We’ll check back with you in one hour.” 

“Good,” approved Alicia, as the two men turned around and walked back to wherever they came from, shoulders dropped. She waited for a few more seconds to make sure Sean and Gareth wouldn’t slip past their watch as soon as they turned their backs to them, and then she addressed Ellie and Dina. “I’m sorry, girls, but you should go home, too. We need everyone safe and accounted for if we mean to have some control over the situation.” 

“You don’t need any help over here?” Ellie asked. 

“No, it’s alright. Go home,” Joel insisted. 

“We’ll do that,” Dina agreed, patting Ellie’s on the shoulder. “See you later.” 

As Dina and Ellie walked down the road, Joel and Alicia entered the canteen again. Max had already been hard at work while they chatted out there—experienced upon the lights going out one too many times in Jacksonville, he’d already placed some flashlights at strategic points at the diner and the kitchen. They made sure none of them would bump into any furniture while walking around the place or preparing the simple and humble dinner. 

Yeah, Maria definitely didn’t need such a burden on her shoulders, Joel sighed. She was still getting her strength back after the exhausting and strenuous labor, plus the consequent days and nights barely getting a handful of hours of sleep at all. With any luck, she’d been asleep and wouldn’t realize anything was wrong at all. . . Although Joel knew better than to raise false hope. 

“Still, it’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?” Alicia asked, rolling up her shirt’s sleeves. “About little Samantha. You’re an uncle now, Joel, had you ever imagined this would happen?” 

The man chuckled—it seemed his and Alicia’s thoughts had wandered, unbeknownst by either one of them, in the same direction. It was no surprise, really. That was the subject of everyone’s thoughts and conversations for the past entire week. 

“No, I hadn’t,” he confessed, leading the way into the kitchen. “No one living in this fucking terrifying and dark world would ever believe their linage would grow and prosper.” 

After his and Tommy’s fall-out, he’d never thought he’d find a way back to his brother. The chances of him meeting someone and having a child didn’t even occur to him once during the couple of decades they’d been apart. Meeting his brother in the middle of nowhere, finding out he’d married, was one thing. Finding a home in Jackson, another subject altogether. But, Tommy and Maria having a child. . . That was beyond comprehension and belief. How could the Miller family keep growing under such circumstances? 

Other than exultant and happy for his brother and sister-in-law, though, part of Joel felt bad about the whole thing. He was. . . Jealous? Resentful? Saddened? Grieving? One of the four, or maybe something else. He couldn’t name what it was exactly and, honestly, he didn’t want to put a name to whatever he was feeling. It just had something to do with Sarah and some deeply buried feeling towards the daughter he’d lost so long ago. He just didn’t want to tamper Tommy’s and Maria’s happiness with his own mourning. 

Whatever else had happened the past couple of decades, they’d found their way through. The couple had managed to survive and somehow found a home and happiness in the midst of the darkest of times they’d lived in. He couldn’t fault them for wanting more out of life. Although reluctantly, without knowing what the hell he was doing the vast majority of the time, Joel was trying to do the same, after all. 

He looked up at Alicia, a small smile hidden behind the stubble, as the woman handed him half a dozen loaves of bread. Usually, he let the wind carry him around and, so far, everything was turning out nicely. Could he let his hair down just this once? 

“Life moves on, I suppose, whether we want it or not,” Alicia said, shrugging. “They don’t seem to regret the decision, though.” 

“Oh, they don’t,” Joel replied. Every time he visited them, Maria and Tommy were ecstatic and lip-smackingly happy. Their child was, too. In time, they’d explain to her what sort of world she lived in and why had she been brought up in it. She would understand and accept it. “I think it’s very brave what they’re doing, though. I couldn’t breathe if I had a child venture out there in the world every single day.” 

“You barely do, as it is,” Alicia pointed out, raising an eyebrow at her. 

He chuckled, unable to deny those words, and focused on the knife and the bread on the counter. It was true he was such a fucking mess every time Ellie left the safety of Jackson for patrol. She hadn’t had any close encounters with Infected as he had had, an encounter that had him off the patrol rotations still, and yet, he was always restless until he saw her back safe and sound and walking on her own into town. 

“Fair enough.” 

There were two knocks on the door and Joel left the kitchens, just to make sure the newcomer wouldn’t suffer accidents with any chairs or tables on their way in. However, he was more concerned with the question of what was his brother doing down there than the off chance of Tommy hurting himself walking in. 

“The hell are you doing here?” he scowled. 

“Just checking in.” 

“We’ve got it covered, Tommy. Go back to your wife.” 

“They just sent word from the plant—doesn’t look like they’re going to fix it any time soon.” 

“And that’s why we’re preparing sandwiches for dinner. Not as good, but at least it’ll fill our stomachs.” 

“Yeah, okay, I’ll drop the pretense. Dinner—that’s actually why I’m here,” Tommy said, sheepish voice. Even in the darkness, Joel could see him blush a little bit. He struggled to choose his next words and Joel let Tommy boil a little bit. He could guess what he needed but made Tommy said the words out loud. As worried a person as he was for the community, he had one clear priority now, and one very simple and basic request. “Maria’s already bugging me. She’s hungry and I’ve got virtually nothing in my fridge.” 

At that, even Alicia’s soft laughter could be heard from the kitchen. She peered from the threshold and winked at Tommy through the door. 

“Of course, she’s hungry,” nodded Joel. “How’re we doing in there?” 

“Take a seat, Tommy. I’ll have something prepped in five.” 

“You’re a life-saver, you truly are,” Tommy appreciated, almost beaming. 

“Oh, I know, trust me,” the woman said. “This place would go to the dogs if I weren’t here.” 

“No doubt.” 

At Joel’s signal, he sat down on the nearest booth. Joel patted him on the shoulder once, went back into the kitchen, grabbed a couple of water bottles, and returned to his brother’s booth. He sat down across from Tommy, figuring he could do with some adult conversation that didn’t revolve around diapers and a baby’s sleep schedules.


	4. Chapter 4

Dina smiled wickedly, trying her best to hide the grin by keeping her head down, her eyes locked on the chessboard. Ellie had just made a terrible mistake. 

She raised her hand before Ellie tried to mend it, grabbed her white piece, and jumped three times on a row—eating as many black pieces. Triumphantly, she removed them from the board, adding them to the gradually taller pile of Ellie’s black pieces she’d eaten already. Ellie was not having a good game. 

However, on the other hand, Ellie didn’t seem to mind her monumental loss. Dina was expecting yells and curses coming from such a bad loser, maybe even a refusal to keep playing, but their checker’s game was, apparently, the last thing on Ellie’s mind right now. 

“Ellie? It’s your turn,” Dina said. 

“Oh. Right.” 

Utterly uninterested, she moved one of her pieces—opening herself to losing two more pieces on a row. This time around, Dina didn’t take advantage of Ellie’s obvious lack of motivation to finish the game, much less win it, for she pushed the board to the side. Ellie didn’t even utter a single complaint and Dina scooted closer, their crossed legs in contact. 

“Alright, fess up. What is going on in that head of yours?” 

“It’s. . . It’s nothing,” Ellie changed her mind mid-sentence. 

“Oh, is it, now?” retorted Dina. “If I get that checkers game again, are you going to beat me, or are you going to lose spectacularly?” 

“That game’s stupid,” Ellie scowled, turning in bed, back facing Dina. 

“And you are stupidly stubborn.” 

Dina sat by Ellie’s side, waiting. She battled against unknown emotions and struggled with the appropriate words until she finally sighed. 

“It’s Sammy, I suppose,” Ellie said, head and shoulders dropped. “I don’t fucking understand how a whole damned town can lose their minds over a baby who spends her days eating, pooping, and sleeping.” 

“Well, I’d be shocked if she could read Shakespeare,” Dina laughed. 

“It pisses me off,” Ellie scowled. And Dina’s remark bothered her, too, for she shrugged Dina’s hand off her shoulder. “She’s totally dependent on her parents and other people. She cannot defend herself. She’d be a total liability out there. What’s her goddamn attraction?” 

“Babies tend to do that to people. . .” 

“It’s infuriating.” 

“I’m not sure, but I think babies do have that ‘adorability’ gene coded by birth. . . Hold on a second. You’re not. . . You’re not _jealous,_ are you?” 

“Of course I’m not!” Ellie yelled, outraged. 

Their conversation was cut short by the door opening and Jesse stepping in without even asking for permission. A cold breeze came in with Jesse, freezing both girls until he closed the door again. In the semidarkness, he jumped from one foot to the other, trying to warm himself and wipe the snowflake remnants of the blizzard off his shoulders and hair. 

“Hey, you two. Who’s winning?” he said in a greeting. 

He dropped his jacket on a chair and approached the two silent girls. Unable to read the room, he dropped on the bed, hands crossed under his head. 

“Yes, please, come on in, make yourself comfortable,” Dina said, saving a pillow buried under Jesse’s body weight. The boy only sighed in response, smiling broadly, not at all bothered by the strange and probably uncomfortable position he’d fallen into without the pillow. 

“I just stopped by at Tommy’s and seen Sammy. She’s adorable, don’t you think—?” 

Sudden movement, Ellie jumping right off the bed, made him quiet. Resting on his elbows, he watched the girl storm out, slamming the door shut. 

“Was it something I said?” he asked in a whisper. 

“She’s being stupid and you’re a moron,” Dina summed up with a dramatic roll of eyes, hitting Jesse harmlessly on the arm.

“No surprises there,” he sighed deeply. 

Dina jumped off the unmade bed, too, set to follow Ellie outside, although she was not planning on catching pneumonia for going after her. She took a small detour to grab Ellie’s coat and hers and, waving at Jesse to stay where he was, she left her place, as well. 

There was no need to send a search party for Ellie or question the townsfolk for her whereabouts, risking alerting Joel; Ellie had made things easy by not getting very far. She was right outside on the porch, leaning on the veranda, watching the quiet town life go past in front of her. Also, she was cold, too—Dina caught her shivering against the cold breeze. 

Solving that one little problem was simple: all Dina had to do was throw Ellie’s coat over her shoulders. Everything else promised to be an uphill battle. Still, she rested by Ellie’s side, no doubt invading what a few weeks prior she’d call her personal space, threw her the biggest smile she could muster, and gently bumped against Ellie’s shoulder. 

She didn’t even raise her head. This always happened, people had told Ellie, whenever a baby was born into town. Neighbors lost their minds. It wasn’t only the adorability gene Dina mentioned, although it certainly helped matters, but the fact that a new life had been brought to the world. A beacon of life shed into their lives, hope persisted even in the darkest of times. It was the promise that life moved on. 

“Hey, Dina. Hey, Ellie,” Henry greeted them, climbing up the porch steps. “Can I?” 

“Sure. Jesse’s inside, too,” Dina said, welcoming him in with a wave of her head. “I’ll be right there.” 

“Thanks,” said Henry, not at all concerned for Dina and Ellie’s lateness. 

As soon as he got inside, they could hear amicable yells and friendly conversation amongst Henry and Jesse. The two boys had just come back from patrol and were reconvening at her place as agreed for some card games and dinner. 

Forgetting all about them both, knowing they’d be alright on their own, Dina returned her attention to Ellie. 

“So, let’s analyze the facts,” she suggested. “Sammy’s a thirty-day-old baby. . .” 

“Who’s got the whole damned town under a spell,” Ellie interjected.

Dina was smart enough to read between the lines of ‘whole damned town’ and reduce it to the one townsfolk Ellie was truly worried about, which was, Joel. There was no way around it, everyone, old and young, male or female, was smitten with that kid—Dina included, for honesty’s sake. She was the talk of the town, everyone’s baby. 

Joel, of course, was as well. On the other hand, however, Ellie needed to understand she shouldn’t have worried at all in that regard. 

“Let’s see. . . Your weapon of choice is that Beretta pistol you always carry around. You always sleep with a blanket, even in the dead of summer. You double-knot your shoes. You claim that you abhor garlic, although that wouldn’t actually stop you if you were truly hungry. You cannot make bubble gums. You—”

“Have you been working on an ‘Ellie Williams’ essay that I didn’t know about?” 

“How do you think I know about all of that?” Dina dared Ellie, turning towards her. 

“I. . . I don’t know. You’re pretty observant.” 

“No, I am not. I’m a good listener, that’s true—because I learned all of that from Joel.” That finally caught Ellie’s attention and she raised her head, surprise, and shock in her eyes. “He truly cares about you. He knows more about you than yourself, probably, and whenever you’re not together, he spends his days talking about you, not Sammy.” 

“That’s—”

“Do me a favor and go see him,” Dina instructed. “Watch the way his eyes sparkle whenever you’re around. The whole town might be smitten with that forsaken baby, but Joel’s, no doubt, smitten with you, you bloody idiot.” 

“Hey, no need for insults,” Ellie scowled, amused nonetheless. 

“Just go,” ordered Dina, pushing Ellie off the veranda. 

She nearly stumbled with her own feet, but found her balance, and descended the steps. She stood there, uncertain, for some seconds, but seeing as Dina wasn’t going to let her go back into the house, Ellie turned her back, dropping her head. 

In a matter of minutes, she was at Joel’s. He hadn’t been in any patrols today, either, and she could hear his guitar from the street, playing a tune he had taught her a while back. She peaked through the windows, blowing on the glass to improve the visibility despite the frost. She saw the man on the armchair, a blissful smile on his face, nodding rhythmically at the melody, as if approving the sound. It brought a smile to Ellie’s lips, too. 

She knocked on the door and helped herself in without waiting for an answer. By the time she turned to the living room, Joel had just put his guitar down and was trying to stand—she was sure a remark on him getting on a bit would ensue. 

Other than the conversation’s predictability, Ellie reflected that Dina was right, much to her biggest dismay. How could Ellie have missed it? Joel’s face lit up the moment he saw her, he gave her the sort of fond and warm smile he’d been so reluctant to give her at the beginning of their strange relationship—a smile that had become routine amongst them, alas. 

It was as if the whole world brightened upon seeing her, as if Ellie being there made everything better and worthwhile. Had she been blind to it all this time? More importantly, had Joel? 

Ellie’s stubbornness prohibited her from telling Dina she was right, however. Sighing, she stepped into the living room. 

“Ah, before I forget,” said Joel, just as he let himself drop onto the couch again. “That’s for you.” 

Ellie followed the direction he pointed at, the coffee table. There was a brand-new colors box there, lying on top of an equally brand-new painting notebook. She took it all in her hands, marveling at such a wonderful present, as Joel explained he’d found it on his raid last Monday with Tommy. 

“You said you were running out of coloring pens,” Joel said as she returned to the couch. “Those should last a little while.”

“Thanks,” she muttered, holding it all tightly against her chest. 

How could she be so stupid not to see? Even with Sammy, Joel kept giving her small tokens of appreciation, proving that he cared about her and he thought about her constantly. Last week, it was another one of those comic books she read—comics he’d started to read, as well, so they could talk about them. A few days prior, Joel had knocked on her door with a book on space and a notebook filled with hundreds of questions for her to explain. In truth, he’d dived so deep in the subject, there were questions she couldn’t even answer. Yeah, Dina was right, and she was a stupid, childish girl. 

“Ellie, you OK?” Joel asked, bringing her back to the present. “You didn’t react to my joke.” 

“Sorry. What was it?” Ellie said, sitting on the edge of the couch in a futile hope that proximity would help her remain there and then. 

“Nevermind, you’re not in the mood to appreciate a proper joke, it seems.” 

“Sorry,” Ellie whispered again. 

“Something bugging you, kiddo?” Joel squinted his eyes at her—of course, he’d noticed she was upset. Luckily enough, he couldn’t read minds just yet. Sometimes she thought he could, though. 

“Nothing.” 

“Doesn’t sound like nothing.”

“It’s just. . .” For a second, Ellie believed she could open up and talk to Joel. He wouldn’t judge or make fun of her, she knew that. But she dismissed the idea. She’d had enough with Dina’s teasing, and she’d just seen first-hand the evidence she’d mentioned. There was no need to dwell on it unnecessarily. “It’s just stupid.” 

“Even if that’s the case, I’d like to know if something’s bugging you,” Joel insisted. With a worried look, he leaned forward, proving that he really wanted to hear Ellie’s tale. 

She closed her eyes and did a quick cost-benefit analysis regarding slamming the door shut and throwing away the key, whereas actually trusting Joel and opening up to the man. Given their history and their track record, she knew there wasn’t even a question, so she started talking, her eyes shut tightly at the beginning. She told Joel about the conversation she’d had with Dina and what her response had been, although she skipped all the so-called evidence Joel had given her within five minutes after she’d knocked on his door. She was scared that he’d grow conscious about those little gestures and would stop being so kind and attentive toward her. 

At the end of her speech, Joel met her with a warm smile but, as she’d predicted, he didn’t tease her or made light fun of her. There was appreciation and pride in his eyes upon Ellie deciding to confide in him with such a ‘stupid matter’, as she still believed it to be. Her scarlet-red cheeks, however, indicated otherwise. 

“I’m going to say a few things here,” Joel started. 

“Oh, just a few?” Ellie retorted, but after receiving a tilted head and a sour look from the man, she fell quiet again. 

“First, let’s be clear here, I’m not the only one smitten with that baby—the whole town is.” 

“I know that and that’s what pisses me off.” 

“Hate to remind you, but that baby is your little sister. You’ll learn to love her.” 

“What’s the second thing?” Ellie demanded before she made any promises or agreements she’d soon come to regret. 

“Just in case you’re feeling. . . Jealous, or whatever it is. . . Always remember this: even if I am, undeniably, smitten with that little girl, she is only a baby. And sure, she’s my niece, but you’re much more to me than that, Ellie. There’s. . . No one like you. I don’t think I could live on if I lost you, kiddo.” 

At that, Ellie bit her lower lip and turned her head before Joel could see the tears dropping down her cheeks. 

“I. . . I don’t think I could lose you, either, Joel,” she whispered through the tight knot on her throat, threatening to burst at any moment. However, she did bite down the next words in the lines of ‘Promise you’ll never leave me’, because she knew Joel could never make such a vow with a clean conscience. Not in the world they lived in. So, she’d settle with enjoying every single minute she had with the man.


End file.
